Tears and a Kiss
by anneryn7
Summary: AU. Berek. Derek finds Bonnie in the woods. Can friendly comfort turn into more?


_**Time For a Change**_ **Companion Piece**

 **A/N: This idea has been floating around in my head, ever since I wrote the chapter about Bonnie and Derek in the woods in chapter 5. What if things had played out differently? Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

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 **For those of you who haven't read _Time For a Change_ , Bonnie left Mystic Falls and opted to move to Beacon Hills with Tyler/Lydia's mom. She wanted a new start and ended up becoming a part of their pack. (That should be all the back story you need for this to make sense.)  
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Lydia fell asleep hours ago and I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned in bed and no avail. I sighed and slipped on my shoes and grabbed my phone. I pulled on a sweater and grabbed my keys, before leaving the house. I just need some air. I feel too constricted in here. I need to feel nature around me.

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I don't know how long I walked for. I just knew that I needed to feel the trees around me and the dirt beneath my feet. I was well into the woods, before I came to a stop. I found my way into a clearing with a perfect view of the crescent moon and the stars. I laid down and just looked up at the sky. It's calming – peaceful. It's exactly what I needed.

In times like these, I like to believe that everyone I've lost is looking down on me, the way that I'm looking up at the sky.

I can feel the gentle hum of nature course through my fingertips. When I'm out in the wilderness, I can feel how connected everything is. It's rejuvenating. It feels like I'm getting back to my roots – back to the core of things. It's refreshing – healing. I feel more at ease, already. It's just what I needed.

"You know, you really shouldn't be out here alone. There are more dangerous things than me out in the woods, in the middle of the night." A voice mused from behind me. I jumped and the earth shook. I took a deep breath, trying to get my power under control. When I let go like that, it's always when I'm alone. I'm vulnerable otherwise. I saw Derek walking over to me. I tried to ignore the way that my pulse was working on overdrive and wouldn't slow down.

"I'm a witch. I can take care of myself." I told him. He smirked and settled down beside me. He did it with ease, but he looked stiff, like he wasn't used to being around people.

"I see that." He agreed. I sat up, but kept my fingers threaded through the grass, not wanting to let go of my solace just yet. "Seriously, though, you never know who or what is in the woods here, especially at night." He warned me. I peered over at him.

"I know that I'm not from around here, but I seriously doubt that it's any worse than Mystic Falls. Lydia's clued me in on what you guys have gone through, but trust me. Things in Virginia aren't exactly a walk through the park. You may have werewolves here, but back there they have vampires. We had a handful of werewolves – yeah – but only a few. There were vampire-werewolf hybrids, the Original vampire family, ghosts, doppelgangers, and a whole lot of crazy. I can handle myself." I assured him. The faintest hint of a smile graced his face.

"You know… You remind me of someone, Bonnie." Derek admitted, quietly. My ears perked up a bit.

"Who's that?" I asked him. He looked over at me and seemed to ponder whether or not he should say.

"My older sister, Laura," he finally whispered, after a couple of minutes of silence.

"I didn't know that you had a sister." I told him, quietly. His sharp intake of breath was like a knife cutting through the silence.

"I did. She died." He breathed. I moved my hand on top of his, before I realized what I was doing.

All of a sudden, a rush of memories came flooding through my vision. I saw Derek and his sister, when they were kids. I saw them growing up together. I saw the fire that demolished the Hale's house and heard their screams. I saw Laura dead, in the woods. I felt the agony that Derek felt when he found her. I felt the betrayal that flowed through his entire being, as he realized that it was Peter who killed her and who had used her as a trap to draw him back to Beacon Hills. I saw Derek take his revenge and kill Peter. I also saw Peter come back to life. I saw Derek sacrifice his alpha power to save his younger sister, Cora. I saw bits and pieces of everything, before I found the strength to pull my hand back.

I stared at Derek, dumbfounded. No wonder he's so hesitant around everyone. He's been through so much…

"I am so sorry, Derek." I blurted out. The look that he gave me told me that he knew that I was just apologizing for Laura dying. I knew that he felt what I just saw. He was shaking. He stood up and started to walk away. I scrambled to my feet and pulled on his shirt sleeve to stop him. He whipped around and faced me, obviously deteriorating. "I didn't… It wasn't on purpose… The visions… I can't control them." I apologized. "I'm sorry." I told him. He looked grim, but gave me a curt nod in acknowledgement, anyway.

I took a deep breath and wrapped my arms around him, taking a chance. He stiffened, before relaxing in my grip. At some point, his arms went around me, too, holding me to him.

We stayed that way for hours. My legs locked up and my back ached, but I never complained. I just stood there, holding him, trying to help him hold himself together. Sometimes, it doesn't matter who is there for you. You just need someone. It doesn't take much to fly off the rails and I don't want to the cause for Derek to.

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"Bonnie, I'm okay." Derek whispered, his voice hoarse. I nodded and pulled away from him. He looked at me, like he wanted to say more. "Thank you… for that."

"You don't have to thank me. That's what friends or for… Well, pack… And you guys let me in when you barely knew me… And I know what it's like. I didn't mean to trigger anything for you." I apologized, again.

"I don't blame you, for what happened." He told me, softly. I nodded. "I'll… I'll stay out here with you, until you're ready to turn in. You really shouldn't be out here alone. There's something circling Beacon Hills and we haven't been able to tell what it is yet." He offered. I shifted my weight from foot to foot.

"Can we stay out here, a little longer?" I asked him. He nodded. I sat back down and looked up at the sky. It didn't take him long to settle down, next to me. I jumped when I felt his hand on my face.

"You're crying." He explained. My eyebrows rose.

"I didn't realize." I whispered. I mopped off the rest of my face and studied the ground. The emotions that I can still feel radiating off of Derek, in addition to the memories that his have stirred up… I'm a mess. I sniffled and willed myself not to cry.

"It's okay." He promised. I shook my head. I have to get a hold of myself. With everything going on… The last thing I need is my powers to go haywire, because I'm an emotional wreck. The last time that happened… I can't do it again. I'm still trying to get the Expression out of my system. It made everything so much easier… But I don't want to go to the dark-side. Too much shit has happened. "You're beautiful when you cry." Derek admitted. I laughed. I hiccupped and held my stomach, because I was laughing so hard.

"I'm really not."

"I think you are." He argued. I rolled my eyes. "Come here." He chuckled and pulled me into a hug. I pulled myself together and started to pull away, but Derek squeezed me tighter, before letting me go. "Thank you, Bonnie." Derek breathed, softly. "For this," he added, gently.

"It's the least I could do." I offered him a gentle smile, as I brushed off his gratitude. Derek's hand grabbed my wrist and I looked up at him.

"No, _**really**_ , thank you." His voice oozed sincerity and he had soulful eyes to match.

"It's my fault that you had to relive everything. I wasn't about to just leave you." I whispered. Derek moved closer to me and it became increasingly difficult to breathe. My heart felt like it was trying to pound out of my chest.

"You're so beautiful. You know that?" He seemed to be saying it more to himself, than anything. I shook my head. "How are you even real?" He asked, before I had time to argue.

"Real?" I echoed. He nodded and his lips inched steadily closer to mine.

"You're so..." he looked like he was struggling to find the right words. "I've never met anyone like you."

"You barely know me."

"I know enough."

"Men and their egos," I teased, trying to downplay the intensity that was igniting between us.

"Do you feel it?" He asked me, completely ignoring my desperate attempt to change the subject.

"Do I feel what?" I asked him, stupidly.

"This," he breathed, before closing the gap between us. I gaped against his lips. I didn't know what I was feeling, but I knew that I was definitely feeling something. Neither of us could deny it. I clutched the front of his shirt and melted into the kiss, like our lives depended on it. He picked me up and positioned me, so my back was against a tree and he was to my front. I broke the kiss, panting, sucking down greedy mouthfuls of oxygen to soothe my burning lungs. Derek let his lips trail down my neck.

I pushed against him, before things went too far. After a minute, he got the hint and set me on my feet, but he didn't release his hold on me. His hands were warm on my hips.

"Did that really just happen?" I asked him, as I tried to wrap my mind around everything. He nodded, silently. "We... I... Um, _**we**_ should..." I was at a loss for words. I had no idea what to say.

"I'll walk you home. We can talk about this in the morning." He offered.

"Is that your way of telling me that you're spending the night?"

"Do you want me to?"

"I wouldn't hate it."

"Then I'll stay." He decided. His hand found mine and we began our quiet trek back to Lydia's. I'm not really sure what any of this means, but really, when do I ever?

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 **A/N: So, this happened. It's been floating around in my head, since I wrote the chapter. Hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to review.**

 **Xo Xo,  
Anneryn**


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